When we were 5 years old, a McDonald’s cheeseburger was a celebratory lunchtime treat. Calories were as unfamiliar as the opposite sex, and trans fats were as foreign as puberty. Now it seems that food and guilt go hand in hand too often, and the blissful ignorance we experienced with our favorite edible indulgences is a thing of the past.

Society is becoming increasingly aware of the negative and positive effects food can have on our bodies, depending on the choices we make. We’re told to count our calories, limit sugar and lower our sodium intake. With so many rules, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. Developing a healthy relationship with food is hard when you’re trying to find a balance between overindulgence and being overly obsessed with calories.

The Food and Drug Administration is on a mission to curb the obesity issue currently plaguing the United States. On April 1, the FDA made a new rule requiring that chain restaurants, retail food sellers and vending machines display the calorie counts of items on the menu.

A November 2010 article from CNN reported that, according to a study published in Pediatrics, eating disorders are becoming more prevalent among children and teenagers in the United States.

Simultaneously, the number of overweight people in the United States is growing. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys from 2007-08, 68 percent of Americans are overweight or obese. Clearly, not everyone is experiencing guilt while eating. 

I applaud the FDA’s efforts to make us more aware of our food decisions and protect us from making unhealthy food choices. If an obese person notices the calorie count of a Whopper during his or her daily Burger King run and is disturbed enough to change his or her ways, that’s a step in the right direction. I fear, however, that food is in some ways becoming more of an enemy than a friend, and meals are unnecessarily turning into mathematical equations.

Don’t get me wrong — I am not advocating gorging on doughnuts and Butterfinger bars. Rather, I am encouraging balance. We need to be aware that eating french fries every day is not a great idea, but enjoying them every once in a while is OK. Eat lots of vegetables, and occasionally follow it with some ice cream. We should care about our bodies enough to eat wholesomely, and care for our psychological state enough not to agonize. Diners should read labels and take note of restaurant’s calorie indications, but without becoming fixated on every number.

It’s easy to take our taste buds for granted. People who are sick, dying or depressed lose their appetites. As healthy people, we should take advantage of our opportunity to enjoy a good meal. Food can simultaneously give us pleasure, disease, nourishment and entertainment (e.g., Rachael Ray and the dancing California Raisins). But taking the risk to enjoy food could result in some enjoyable experiences. 

While studying abroad, my friend Liz and I shared one of the best meals of our lives in Florence. I ate more pizza and pasta than I ever imagined my stomach could hold, and we washed it down with red wine and gelato. Dr. Robert Atkins may have rolled over in his grave, but it’s a memory I will forever cherish. I would recommend everyone travel to Florence and do the same thing, just not every day.

Alicia Smith is a graduate student in the magazine, newspaper and online journalism program at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications. Her column appears every Thursday, and she can be reached at acsmit05@syr.edu. 

Published on April 6, 2011 at 12:00 pm